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Gold is heavy, with a specific gravity of 19.3 times that of water. The old timers made use of this property
                 when separating gold particles from sand and gravel in placer deposits using pans and sluices.
                 In the past, it was common to have high denomination coins minted out of gold. The milled edge around
                 coins is there for a reason. It was to help stop the illegal practice of shaving the edges of coins to obtain
                 “free” gold. The milled edge is still used on coins today even when made from non-precious metals. This
                 gives  them  the  appearance  of  value.  As  time  passed  the  value  of  gold  contained  within  the  coin
                 eventually surpassed its face value by hundreds of times. This resulted in gold coins being sold as bullion
                 or melted down into ingots.
                 With the advent of electronics last century the use of gold in electrical circuitry and wiring has becoming
                 increasingly  important,  particularly  as  integrated  circuits  are  miniaturized  to  fit  into  smaller  and
                 smaller devices. The ability to draw gold out into extremely thin wire and its resistance to oxidation
                 makes it ideal for this purpose.
                 One other use for gold is in dentistry where it is used for fillings.

                 Where is it found?
                 Gold  is  found  in  many  different  mineral  deposit  types  and  settings.  These  include  epithermal,
                 mesothermal, porphyry, volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) and placer
                 deposits, just to name a few.
                 Coarse-grained gold is commonly found in association with quartz (Figure 1). Quartz veins containing
                 gold were targeted by old time prospectors as they were relatively easy to spot while walking across the
                 land.
                 Gold can combine with sulphides, such as pyrite and arsenopyrite, in the form of extremely fine micron-
                 sized grains. When in this form, metallurgists often have difficulty in recovering all the gold from the ore.
                 In the Victorian goldfields of Australia, extremely large nuggets are found in near surface deposits.
                 These can be several kilograms in weight and are thought to have formed in situ by the transport and
                 deposition of gold in suspension.

                 “Gold is where you find it!”
                 There is phrase often used in gold exploration; “Gold is where you find it!” Its location within deposits can
                 be quite elusive at times. Campaign drilling of a mineralised shear or vein can often miss high grade
                 shoots due to their narrowness, much to the disillusionment of the geologist in charge.

                                                                       Figure 1: Gold within quartz.
                                                                       Figure 1: Gold within quartz.









                 Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) Base Metal Deposits

                 Nearly a quarter of the world’s zinc production is from volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits.
                 In Canada, approximately half of country’s zinc production is from VMS deposits that also supply 40% of
                 Canada’s silver production. VMS deposits also yield significant amounts of lead, silver, copper, and gold.
                 Volcanic massive sulphide deposits are accumulations of metal sulphides that precipitate from heated
                 hydrothermal fluid associated with volcanically active under-sea environments.
                 Ore Minerals





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